The Foundation for Security and Development in Africa (FOSDA) has called for bold commitments to the 46 activities in the Ghana National Action Plan 2 on WPS at a policy roundtable convened at the Tomreik Hotel in Accra on July 15, 2025. The policy roundtable was on ‘Financing of the Ghana National Action Plan (GHANAP 2) for implementing the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security agenda in the country.

The call was made by the Executive Director (Theodora Willams Anti) of FOSDA based on the rising concerns over financial constraints, which continue to pose significant challenges to the fulfilment of the benefits of the WPS agenda and the need for domestic financing of GHANAP 2. Mrs. Anti added that “the dialogue was the moment we shift the financing narrative, from scarcity to sustainability, from ad hoc to institutionalized support”.

With participation from government institutions like the Ministry of Finance and the Ghana Revenue Authority, civil society organizations, and security sector representatives, the event reflected the growing urgency to secure sustainable resources for the women, peace, and security agenda.

She noted that recent independent monitoring by FOSDA revealed a notable increase in GHANAP 2 implementation, rising from approximately 20% in 2023 to around 60% in the first quarter of 2025. This progress is largely attributed to the collaborative efforts of both state and non-state actors, primarily supported by donor funding. A good example being the “Monitoring the implementation of GHANAP 2” project funded by Global Affairs Canada.

Mrs. Williams-Anti highlighted that sustainable and predictable funding is essential for Ghana to meet these targets and sustain momentum, citing examples from countries like Canada, Nepal, Jordan, and the Philippines where intentional financing mechanisms have bolstered Women, Peace and Security efforts. She urged Ghana to make strategic political choices to embed WPS priorities into national and local budgets, involve the private sector, and establish dedicated funding mechanisms for women-led networks and peacebuilders.

In her remark, Bertha Desmennu, Elsie Initiative Senior Liaison Officer at the High Commission of Canada, shared that without adequate financing, National Action Plans cannot deliver the transformative impact they promise. She said, by early 2023, out of 101 countries that have National Action Plans focused on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS), only 31 had calculated or estimated how much money would be needed to carry out their plans. This reveals a significant shortcoming because without understanding the financial requirements, it becomes difficult to properly fund and implement these important activities.

She emphasized Canada’s longstanding support for the WPS agenda worldwide and in Ghana, affirming that sustainable peace hinges on the full and meaningful inclusion of women in peace and security efforts. Madam Desmennu praised Ghana’s implementation progress to 60%, noting that this was driven by the dedication of Women’s Rights Organizations and coalitions and the broader GHANAP movement who have shown the transformative power of women’s leadership in peacebuilding.

Also acknowledging current global funding cuts affecting the WPS agenda, she cited FOSDA’s estimate that Ghana needs between 1.1 and 1.7 billion Ghana Cedis over the next 4 to 6 years to fully support the National Action Plan, underlining the urgency of mobilizing sustainable resources. While appreciating the importance of international support, Madam Desmennu stressed the need for increased national investment to ensure long-term success.

Krista House, Deputy Director at Global Affairs Canada and manager of the Elsie Initiative and Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) programming, expressed Canada’s continued commitment to advancing the WPS agenda.  Madam House noted that reform is gradual and acknowledged positive progress and trends.

Looking ahead, she emphasized Canada’s focus on sustaining the initiative through institutionalization, effective implementation, global collaboration, and adaptability to emerging needs. House also welcomed the partnership with FOSDA in these efforts.

During the event, participants engaged with FOSDA’s policy brief on GHANAP-2 financing led by Mr. Solomon Okai (FOSDA Research Lead), dissecting its implications and debating strategies for increased government and local stakeholder investment.

In his presentation, he emphasized that the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda lacks established international financing benchmarks, which has meant that Ghana has never been obligated to allocate sufficient funding for the WPS agenda through GHANAP. He pointed out that Ghana can support domestic financing of GHANAP primarily through expenditures on ‘goods and services’ and ‘capital investment.’ Furthermore, he noted that GHC 341 million is required to implement GHANAP 2, representing 0.02% of nominal GDP and 0.12% of the 2025 national budget, respectively.

The forum featured a robust plenary session where diverse perspectives were shared, emphasizing the necessity for collective action not only among government bodies such as the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Gender, but also key coalition groups like the CSO coalition for advocating for the effective implementation of GHANAP by FOSDA and her partners including WANEP, AWLN, IGED, WILPF-GH, WOMNET-GH, GENCED and Girls to Women Foundation. Other perspectives included, approaching the WPS agenda in a developmental way. i.e. to highlight the developmental impact, it will have on our economy. Also, seeking out more funds from the private sector.

Other recommendations captured from the dialogue include:

1. Government of Ghana (GoG) should

• create two (2) fund portfolios firstly, consolidate the fines from SGBV and DV
• set up a WPS fund for voluntary private sector donation to the WPS Agenda
• Consider a share of taxes on hair and beauty products

2. Ministry of Finance to lobby the regional community (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) to organize a forum to dialogue with other global actors on agreeing to a financing benchmark for the WPS agenda

1. Conduct a Cost-benefit analysis to scientifically assess the strengths, weaknesses, and associated expenditures of its activities
2. Develop a standalone costed Monitoring and Evaluation framework for the GHANAP
3. Establish an ad-hoc task Force in MDA to complement the efforts of the Steering Committee

The stakeholder policy dialogue convened by FOSDA has underscored the urgent need for bold, strategic, and sustainable financing of Ghana’s National Action Plan 2 on Women, Peace and Security. With increasing implementation progress demonstrating the transformational role of women’s leadership, stakeholders agreed that shifting from donor dependency to domestic resource mobilization is crucial. The dialogue closed with actionable recommendations for government, civil society, and the private sector to collaboratively institutionalize funding mechanisms that will secure GHANAP’s long-term success and strengthen Ghana’s commitment to gender-responsive peacebuilding.